Fed up with Can-Am service!

[Jetfixer]

I'd like to add my $0.02 worth here to try to help. As to the posts about the axle caps being loose. I think you guys are talking about two different things with two different functions. The round black plastic caps that go over the axle bolt head and nut are simply decorative. They snap into place and do fall out easily. If they are missing you will simply see the axle bolt and nut. However, if you are talking about the two rectangular metal caps that are in the rear of each side of the swingarm with the allen head bolt, these are the adjusters to set belt tension and tracking. If the allen screws are backed all the way out you can lose them and the metal cap. The actual adjusters cannot fall out because the axle bolt goes through them. If your adjuster caps were so loose as to be rattling, then the belt was absolutely not tensioned at rear tire replacement. Whether or not the belt tension and tracking were properly set, when the axle bolt is tightened (I guess torqued properly is out of the question here) it clamps the adjusters where they are.

 

[Jane1330]

Do my own work, with hubby bears guidance. Did let local dealer perform the sprocket exchange, no issues to report....

 

[deer30084]

Do my own work, with hubby bears guidance. Did let local dealer perform the sprocket exchange, no issues to report....

The problem is my dealer has told me he cannot get the sprocket from Can Am. He has been lying to me since last summer. He has been stringing me along. First it was, "They will be here by the last week of August (2022)." That came and went. i called him several times through November. Each time I was told they are not yet available. I have in the past few days called 4 Can Am dealerships in the area that have perfomed the front sprocket recall on several bikes. The question is: WHY IS MY DEALER NOT TELLING ME THE TRUTH AS TO WHY HE IS NOT GETTING THE SPROCKET LIKE OTHER DEALERS?

 

[Smokes]

Is this dealer authorised to do the recall? Or any repairs on Spyders? Maybe Canam won't supply parts to this particular dealer because they don't pay bills? Who knows.

 

[Peteoz]

The problem is my dealer has told me he cannot get the sprocket from Can Am. He has been lying to me since last summer. He has been stringing me along. First it was, "They will be here by the last week of August (2022)." That came and went. i called him several times through November. Each time I was told they are not yet available. I have in the past few days called 4 Can Am dealerships in the area that have perfomed the front sprocket recall on several bikes. The question is: WHY IS MY DEALER NOT TELLING ME THE TRUTH AS TO WHY HE IS NOT GETTING THE SPROCKET LIKE OTHER DEALERS?

Deer (John) hyea:,

He hasn’t been lying to you all that time. The “final fix” sprockets were slated to be available from around Aug ‘22, but they didn’t start arriving at dealers until around Dec ‘22, and then only a very few to select large dealers. It wasn’t until this year that they started to become more widely available, but still only in limited amounts. But having said that, he should, by now, have been able to order the sprocket and have an idea of delivery date. Call him again now, and if he still says they are unavailable to order, ask him why other dealerships have not only ordered them, but had them delivered and have installed them. You can then make a call on whether to bother using him for ANY work :dontknow:

Pete

 

[carbonation]

Still no sprockets at either dealer close to me.
They both insist the recall is for a remove, inspect, moly lube the splines and reassemble.
I'm one step away from being done with CanAm, period.
Lousy communication, refusal to honor extended warranty, lousy repair techs. It's a ship show for sure.
CanAM can and should do better.

 

[Peteoz]

Still no sprockets at either dealer close to me.
They both insist the recall is for a remove, inspect, moly lube the splines and reassemble.
I'm one step away from being done with CanAm, period.
Lousy communication, refusal to honor extended warranty, lousy repair techs. It's a ship show for sure.
CanAM can and should do better.

Those dealers you have approached need to get their heads out of their “a-s”, Carbonation. If they are registered CanAm dealers, they would have received notification from BRP of the new 2 piece sprocket and Loctite install procedures sometime in December. We can blame BRP for lots of failings, but a poor service department is solely a dealer responsibility. Have a hunt through the sprocket replacement threads on here and you should find copies of the BRP instructions to dealers. Send the dealers a copy (or take it in to them), and ask why they claim they haven’t seen this bulletin to all dealers when it is publicly available…….and then go somewhere else to get your sprocket done, because the quality of their work would have to be very questionable:shocked:

Pete

 

[deer30084]

April 20, 2023, 76 days later I picked up my bike. I had to pay $733.68 for a new drive belt. Two things among others I learned in the military. Attention to detail and never say anything you don't want to see again later in writing. I believe the belt was out of alignment and proper tension since the rear tire was installed at this dealer. On April 4, 2023, my dealer blamed me for ruining the belt. He said, "I don't know what you did to the front sprocket," and "Are you a Can Am mechanic." He said, "I've had enough of you. I'm just going to put it back together and you can go to some other dealer to have it fixed." (Knowing that if he put it back together with a new belt on the old sprocket, it would ruin the belt). He didn't do that though. He said, "Since day one, I've had a problem with you. You gave me a bad review on a CSI...." I don't even remember that, but if I did give him a bad review, it was the truth. It was probably the time his mechanic left the bolt off my brake pedal after having put the brake extension on. Attention to detail. If I knew he harbored ill feelings towards me since "day one," I never would have gone back. Plus, he could have taken corrective action to remedy the situation. Any good business person should know how to establish a good customer/dealer relationship. I never touched the front sprocket. All I did was attempt to "dial in" the proper alignment to the belt, but it wouldn't align. When I turned the bike in, I didn't see or notice any damage to the belt. It looked ok to me. I know this rant would probably raise more questions. Anyway, I will never set foot in that dealership again and I am contemplating selling my F3.

 

[slhanks004]

For what it's worth, I had a dealer issue and contacted BRP. I received a phone call from the BRP customer service people and was told "Dealers are independent businesses, we don't really control what they do", well, crappy dealers are destroying your brand's reputation. I'd think that BRP has some leverage to force bad dealers into compliance.

 

[Northofthesix]

I have had a much different experience with the dealer I go to, who did my initial inspection on the sprocket on my 2018 RTL last fall (it was fine) while I waited about an hour, ordered my replacement and when I called this spring had it waiting for me, installed it and an oil change along with a full inspection of brakes and tires etc., while I waited, in about 2 hours. It's a 500km round trip for me to this dealer (Lockhart's Odyssey) but worth it ... closer dealer in Sarnia got my business once and never again. When you find a good competant dealer... worth the drive!!

 

[Gwolf]

April 20, 2023, 76 days later I picked up my bike. I had to pay $733.68 for a new drive belt. Two things among others I learned in the military. Attention to detail and never say anything you don't want to see again later in writing. I believe the belt was out of alignment and proper tension since the rear tire was installed at this dealer. On April 4, 2023, my dealer blamed me for ruining the belt. He said, "I don't know what you did to the front sprocket," and "Are you a Can Am mechanic." He said, "I've had enough of you. I'm just going to put it back together and you can go to some other dealer to have it fixed." (Knowing that if he put it back together with a new belt on the old sprocket, it would ruin the belt). He didn't do that though. He said, "Since day one, I've had a problem with you. You gave me a bad review on a CSI...." I don't even remember that, but if I did give him a bad review, it was the truth. It was probably the time his mechanic left the bolt off my brake pedal after having put the brake extension on. Attention to detail. If I knew he harbored ill feelings towards me since "day one," I never would have gone back. Plus, he could have taken corrective action to remedy the situation. Any good business person should know how to establish a good customer/dealer relationship. I never touched the front sprocket. All I did was attempt to "dial in" the proper alignment to the belt, but it wouldn't align. When I turned the bike in, I didn't see or notice any damage to the belt. It looked ok to me. I know this rant would probably raise more questions. Anyway, I will never set foot in that dealership again and I am contemplating selling my F3.

About the same situation with the Can Am dealer in Gainesville, FL. I bought the Spyder there, brand new. It was uncrated and assembled there. Went to pick it up with my trailer. The brake rod did not fit me. Foot peg way to far back for my legs. They didn't have another brake rod in stock at all, of any length. They said they would order one and I had to come back and let they install it. Told them, "NO", you order it and send it to me, I ain't riding 100 miles to get it. They also told me some other stuff that was pure bull. Had to schedule it back in to adjust the valves at 3,000 miles and some other bull that they just made up. I took the Spyder home, went over the whole bike checking. Found loose fasteners in a couple places. I already had the service and maintenance manual, and had read them before I ever ordered the Spyder. What the dealer was telling me did not match what the manuals called for. I decided the day I picked it up they were incompetent. That dealership sells about 4 or 5 brands of new motorcycles as well as used motorcycles of various brands. They don't concentrate on the Can Am brand and don't seem to know much about it. They are in business to sell motorcycles. Once the bikes are sold, they don't do much to maintain what they sell. Mine has never been back to the dealership, and never will go back to that dealer. Pretty sure at this point I can do anything they can, and do a better job on it. This is really not unusual for me. I own a 2001 Harley Sportster that never went to a dealer in the 20+ years I have owned it. Did a couple of top end rebuilds and one complete engine swap with a low mileage used 2001, I bought at a good price to be a parts doner bike. If the Can Am dealers do not change their customer relations tactics, they are going to lose what market shares they might have in many locations. It is a shame, because the basic design, handling, and power, are some of the best in the 3 wheel category. The dealers will have to do a better job with repairs and how long it takes, or Can Am will need to have some trained independent repair shops which can do what the dealers will not. Otherwise, they will lose out on the sales and have a worse reputation than they have already earned in some locations.

 

[ARtraveler]

About the same situation with the Can Am dealer in Gainesville, FL. I bought the Spyder there, brand new. It was uncrated and assembled there. Went to pick it up with my trailer. The brake rod did not fit me. Foot peg way to far back for my legs. They didn't have another brake rod in stock at all, of any length. They said they would order one and I had to come back and let they install it. Told them, "NO", you order it and send it to me, I ain't riding 100 miles to get it. They also told me some other stuff that was pure bull. Had to schedule it back in to adjust the valves at 3,000 miles and some other bull that they just made up. I took the Spyder home, went over the whole bike checking. Found loose fasteners in a couple places. I already had the service and maintenance manual, and had read them before I ever ordered the Spyder. What the dealer was telling me did not match what the manuals called for. I decided the day I picked it up they were incompetent. That dealership sells about 4 or 5 brands of new motorcycles as well as used motorcycles of various brands. They don't concentrate on the Can Am brand and don't seem to know much about it. They are in business to sell motorcycles. Once the bikes are sold, they don't do much to maintain what they sell. Mine has never been back to the dealership, and never will go back to that dealer. Pretty sure at this point I can do anything they can, and do a better job on it. This is really not unusual for me. I own a 2001 Harley Sportster that never went to a dealer in the 20+ years I have owned it. Did a couple of top end rebuilds and one complete engine swap with a low mileage used 2001, I bought at a good price to be a parts doner bike. If the Can Am dealers do not change their customer relations tactics, they are going to lose what market shares they might have in many locations. It is a shame, because the basic design, handling, and power, are some of the best in the 3 wheel category. The dealers will have to do a better job with repairs and how long it takes, or Can Am will need to have some trained independent repair shops which can do what the dealers will not. Otherwise, they will lose out on the sales and have a worse reputation than they have already earned in some locations.

You are on the money with what you said. The valve job at 3000 miles is a great clue. Not recommended until 28K on the 998's. In most cases not needed at all. I did two. One on my 08 and the other on my 09. Cost $1500 each. Neither needed adjustments. Some dealers ended up charging for these and doing NOTHING. The 1330's do NOT require any valve adjustments. Caveat Emptor.

 

[UtahPete]

For what it's worth, I had a dealer issue and contacted BRP. I received a phone call from the BRP customer service people and was told "Dealers are independent businesses, we don't really control what they do", well, crappy dealers are destroying your brand's reputation. I'd think that BRP has some leverage to force bad dealers into compliance.

Is that the way it works with ANY other big ticket item that is sold through independent retailers? I don't think so.